


The Asphalt Jungle

by DiamondsxStags



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: F/M, OFC is autistic, TW for mentions of rape and sexual assault
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-27
Updated: 2014-10-25
Packaged: 2018-02-22 13:10:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2509016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiamondsxStags/pseuds/DiamondsxStags
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rafael Barba is a hotshot assistant district attorney working in Manhattan with close ties to the NYPD Special Victims Unit. Veronica Kelson is a singer at a blues bar who dropped out of college her sophomore year and lives with her godfather. On paper the two couldn't be more different, the only thing they have in common is that they find each other in the dense, asphalt jungle that is New York City.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Asphalt Jungle

**Chapter One**

 

The bar was unfamiliar to Rafael. He had read a review of it in the paper, praising it as a 'throwback to the 1940's in the best way possible' with 'an atmosphere that makes one feel like one is the lead in a film noir and about to whisk a Veronica Lake lookalike off her feet'. Rafael had never been a fan of the 1940s or of film noirs, but the review had promised decent drinks and really that was all Rafael wanted after such a long week. He had spent the last week trying and trying to get a jury to see that James Huston had raped his neighbour's 16 year old daughter, Linda Johnson, who Huston and his lawyer has been trying to portray as a modern day Lolita who seduced Huston and had been 'asking for it'. Thus far, it looked like Rafael would need a miracle to pull this one off. But for now, he would settle for a stiff drink.

For a new place, the bar was pretty crowded. Looks like that review had impressed quite a few people. Rafael found a stool at the bar and ordered a scotch. The bar buzzed with chatter and laughter but Rafael wasn't in the mood to enjoy anything of it. The scotch arrived and Rafael gave a thank you and the money to pay for the drink. He downed it in a single gulp. It wasn't the right kind of night for idle sips and taking his time. He ordered another, wanting to get just drunk enough to forget the trial, the case, Huston, everything. And that would require a lot of drinking. Another gulp.

The chatter hushed and Rafael looked up to see a man standing on a small stage that he only just now saw. The stage had a piano, the piano player, a microphone stand, and the man who was now asking for quiet. "Everyone, it's Friday night, it's seven p.m., and I'm sure our regulars know what that means!" The 'regulars' all cheered and clinked their glasses together in anticipation of something Rafael and some others knew nothing about. "For those of you who don't know," the man said after the noise died down, "this means a performance from some of the local talent, and boy do we have talent tonight!" He rubbed his hands in delight and grinned. "Everyone, drinkers and non-drinkers alike, please give a nice, warm welcome to our very own, Miss Veronica Kelson!" He lead the applause himself and stepped off the stage as a woman stepped up onto it.

Rafael was no stranger to beautiful women, he sees them everyday, but Veronica was something else. She had sleek black hair that fell in a soft waterfall to her shoulders and was pulled away from her face to reveal two beautiful, almost ghost-like light blue eyes that stood out against her light brown skin. She wasn't just beautiful, she was ethereal. And that dress she was wearing, light pastel blue and soft, the kind of dress a fairytale princess would wear. Even her heels, the same shade as the dress, looked dainty and princess-like. Rafael couldn't take his eyes off her, and neither could half of the other patrons in the bar either. She gave the crowd a small, shy, almost heartbreaking smile. "Good evening everyone." Her voice sent a shiver down Rafael's spine. It was a good shiver. "I'm Veronica, and I'm, hopefully, going to entertain you all tonight." She cleared her throat and looked over her shoulder at the piano player and nodded. The piano player began to play and Veronica turned back to the crowd, eyes cast downwards.

" _Have you got colour in your cheeks?_

_Do you ever get that fear that you can't shift_

_The type that sticks around like something in your teeth?_

_Are there some aces up your sleeve?_ "

Her voice was soft, but loud enough to carry over everyone's head and linger in the air, like a bittersweet memory that you don't want to let go off just yet.

" _Have you no idea that you're in deep?_

_I dreamt about you nearly every night this week._

_How many secrets can you keep?_ "

Rafael took a sip of his drink and kept his eyes on Veronica. ' _Someone as beautiful as her shouldn't have such a sad voice._ ' Veronica lifted her eyes and looked over everyone. Her eyes were half-lidded, as if she was thinking about some other place, some other time. ' _She's should be on tv._ '

" _'Cause there's this tune I found that makes me think of you somehow and I play it on repeat,_

_Until I fall asleep._

_Spilling drinks on my settee_.

_Do I wanna know,_

_If this feeling flows both ways?_

_Sad to see you go,_

_Was sort of hoping that you'd stay._

_Baby we both know,_

_That the nights were mainly made for saying things that you can't say tomorrow day._ "

Rafael didn't know what 'tomorrow day' meant and he doubted that the rest of the crowd did too, but that didn't stop them, or him for that matter, from becoming completely enraptured with Veronica and her voice. She sounded like she was singing about that old love that she couldn't let go off, that she didn't want to let go off. She really was something else.

" _Crawling back to you,_

_Ever thought of calling when you've had a few?_

_'Cause I always do._

_Maybe I'm too busy being yours to fall for somebody new_

_Now I've thought it through._ "

Rafael decided that he was glad he had decided to check out this fairly new bar.

* * *

 

An hour and an half later, Veronica had finished off her last song and everyone gave her a standing ovation. Rafael didn't but he still clapped. Veronica really was something else. She smiled at everyone, bowed and walked off stage and out a door near the back. She really was something else, with the potential to go far. But so did a lot of other young women living in New York city. Rafael hoped that Veronica would get a better break than the rest of them.

A few minutes later, Rafael looked up and saw Veronica enter the bar through the door she had walked out of before. She had changed into a simple dark blue sweater and jeans, she had even ditched the heels for a pair of sneakers. Despite her more casual appearance, Veronica still looked ethereal. And she was walking in his direction. Rafael didn't know why he did it, but just as she was shoulder-to-shoulder with him, he reached out and said "Hey."

Veronica jumped and looked at Rafael like she was a startled deer staring at a hunter. "Y-yes?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Rafael gave her a kind smile. "I just want to say that I was really impressed with your singing up there."

For a moment or two, Veronica said nothing. Her ghost blue eyes slowly roamed Rafael's face, and making the hairs all over Rafael's body stand on end in the process. Finally, her lips slowly formed a smile. "Thank you. That's very sweet." She looked Rafael's face over again. "Do I know you? You look awfully familiar."

Rafael smiled modestly. "You might have seen me on tv once or twice." Being an A.D.A. did have some pros, even if they were more than a little outweighed by the cons.

"Oh, are you an actor?" She sounded impressed, and in that moment Rafael wished he was an actor.

"No, I'm a lawyer." He said, hoping it would ring a few bells.

"Lawyer..." Rafael could see she was trying to connect the dots when he saw recognition flash in her eyes. "Hang on, are you doing that case with the 16 year old girl and her neighbour?"

"Yeah that's me." Rafael saw that she was still impressed and it made him puff out his chest a little.

"Wow, that's really something." Veronica glanced down at the empty stool beside Rafael and looked back up at him. "Is anyone sitting here?"

To say that Rafael was surprised at this would be something of an understatement. "No, not at all." He gestured towards the stool. "Go ahead and sit."

Veronica smiled sweetly and it made Rafael sit up straighter. "Thanks." She sat beside him and continued to smile. "What have you been drinking?"

"Scotch, do you want one?" Rafael moved to get his wallet out of his pocket but he stopped when Veronica put up a hand.

"No, let me get you a drink." She smiled and waved the bartender over. "Eddie, get this guy another drink, it's on me."

"Oh no I can't let you-"

"Yes you can." Veronica said gently. "Any guy who's willing to get a rapist behind bars deserves a free drink in my book. Thanks Eddie." She smiled and paid Eddie.

"Well, thank you." Rafael smiled and sipped his Scotch. "It's not often I get free drinks."

"A guy like you should be getting free drinks." Veronica told him. "What's your name by the way?"

"Rafael Barba."

"Nice to meet you Rafael." Veronica offered her hand to him. "Nice to meet you."

"You too Veronica." Rafael smiled at Veronica's formality and shook her hand.

"Please call me Ronnie." She said, crinkling her nose slightly. "Being called Veronica makes me feel old."

Rafael didn't see how that it was possible to consider Veronica old but he decided to comply. "Ronnie it is." Up close Ronnie's beauty took a different form, it was still ethereal, but there was some vulnerability to her as well. It made Rafael feel strong, like a protector. It wasn't often he was able to feel like that so he was going to bask in it as long as he could.

"How is that poor girl?" Ronnie asked, leaning a little closer. "Is she doing ok, all things considered?"

"Every day is a battle." Rafael admitted. "And it doesn't look like it's going to get any easier."

Ronnie bit her bottom lip slowly. "Can you tell that girl something for me?"

"That depends, what do you want me to tell her?"

Ronnie leaned in closer, so close that Rafael could smell her perfume and really see the colour of her eyes. Rafael had never seen eyes that colour before and he doubt he ever would see that colour again. "Tell her she has someone in her corner." Ronnie bit her bottom lip again. "Tell her...tell her that she isn't alone." She moved back to her original position and looked down. "I have to go." She said after a few moments of silence. She stood up and gently placed her hand Rafael's forearm. "You will tell her that for me, won't you?"

How could he say no to a face like that and a plea like hers? "Of course."

She smiled. "Thank you. Keep fighting the good fight Rafael." She walked out of the bar and into the New York City night, with Rafael and more than a few others watching her.

Rafael decided to go to this bar more often.

* * *

 

The next day, just like Rafael promised, he gave Linda Ronnie's message. Linda had looked surprised at first, but then she smiled. "Tell her I said thank you." Her voice was small, but it contained a tiny seedling of hope. At the end of the day, after the trial, Rafael went back to the bar, hoping that Ronnie would be there. He took a seat at the bar again and waited, occasionally sipping on his Scotch.

After seven o' clock had come and passed and Rafael hadn't seen Ronnie, he grew concerned. He leaned forward and tried to get the bartender's attention. What was his name?....Eddie! "Hey, Eddie?"

Eddie turned to Rafael and gave him the automatic smile servers are trained to give. "Yes sir? How may I help you?"

"Hey, um, can you tell me where Ronnie is?" Rafael tried to play it natural, but he thought that Eddie would be able to see through him.

"Sorry sir, but Ronnie doesn't work on the weekends." Eddie raised an eyebrow. "Why do you wanna see her?"

"Oh I uh..." Rafael tried to think of a good excuse before deciding to tell the truth. "I just...wanted to get her number." He looked down and hoped Eddie wouldn't see him blushing.

"You and half of the other guys here." Eddie paused and seemed to be mulling Rafael's request over. "You're the guy Ronnie talked to last night." He said suddenly. "The lawyer."

"Yeah that's me." Rafael looked back up and smiled. "Rafael Barba."

Eddie looked him over and glanced over his shoulder. "I'll give her a call, see if she wants you to have her number." Eddie pulled out his phone. "If my boss catches me doing this you're telling him what's going on." He put in a number and held the phone to his ear and waited. He smiled. "Hey Marv, what are you doing with Ronnie's phone?"

Marv? Who's Marv? A friend? Roomate?...Boyfriend?

"Well there's a guy here who wants to speak to Ronnie."

Oh God please let it not be a boyfriend, that would be humiliating.

"Cool, put her on...hey Ronnie! Nah, I'm good, but remember that lawyer you were speaking to last night? Yeah he's here and wants to speak to you. Ok cool I'll put him on." Eddie handed his phone to Rafael. "Good luck man." He winked and went back to serving drinks.

Rafael cleared his throat and put the phone to his ear. "Hey, Ronnie?"

"Rafael." She sounded happy, pleasantly surprised even. That was a good sign right? "Hey. Did you give the girl my message?"

"Yeah, she says thank you." Rafael cleared his throat again. "Hey, Ronnie, listen, can I uh...can I get your number?"

A beat. "Why do you want my number?" She didn't sound suspicious or anything negative like that, just curious.

"Well I was thinking that I uh, I would like to spend more time with you...like maybe over dinner?"

Another beat. "Sure. Do you have a pen and paper?" Rafael made do with a napkin and a Mont Blanc that he had in his pocket. He carefully wrote down Ronnie's number, his heart beating faster than a heart should beat. "Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it. So, I'll call you?" Rafael hoped he sounded more calm than he felt.

"Sure, call me any time. It was nice to hear from you Rafael."

Rafael smiled. "Thanks. Stay safe Ronnie." He didn't know why he said that last part but Ronnie seemed to appreciate it.

"You too Rafael. You too. Good night." She hung up.

For the first time in a long time, Rafael felt elated. He hung up and called Eddie back over. "Thanks."

"No problem." Eddie spotted the napkin with the numbers and raised an eyebrow. "Congrats." He patted Rafael on the back and went back to work.

Rafael downed the rest of his drink, left a tip, and left. As he walked into the night air, it didn't feel as cold as it did before. It felt warm. Or maybe it was just him. Either way, the warmth felt nice.

**Author's Note:**

> The song in this chapter is Do I Wanna Know? by The Arctic Monkeys


End file.
